Power from an engine is typically delivered to vehicle wheels to propel a vehicle. Additionally, engine power may be used to drive ancillary vehicle accessories such as air conditioning units and alternators. However, some vehicles include a power take off port located in the vehicle driveline between the engine and the wheels. The power take off unit (PTU) can be a source of power to a device that is external to the vehicle or to a device that may not be incorporated into a typical passenger vehicle. For example, a power take off port (included in the PTU) may power a hydraulic pump that lifts a snow plow or a hydraulic motor that turns a cement mixer. However, typical PTUs drive ancillary vehicle accessories via a linear drive shaft coupled from an output of the PTU to an input of the accessory, and thus cannot power the ancillary vehicle accessories on uneven surfaces.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a kit comprising a generator including an input coupling and a flexible driveshaft comprising an outer sheath and a rotatable and flexible inner shaft, where a first end of the inner shaft is coupleable to the input coupling and a second end of the inner shaft is coupleable to an output coupling of a PTU of a vehicle. In this way, an ancillary vehicle accessory (e.g., the generator) may be powered by a vehicle PTU on an uneven, sloping, and/or slanted surface via the flexible driveshaft.
As one example, the flexible driveshaft may connect to the vehicle PTU in either a linear or non-linear linkage. A complementary connector on the PTU may be located on a vehicle body or undercarriage of the vehicle. The first end of the inner shaft of the flexible driveshaft may include a first coupling element (e.g., a mechanical coupler) adapted to be directly and rotatably coupled with a complementary connector of the generator and the second end of the inner shaft of the flexible driveshaft may include a second coupling element (e.g., mechanical coupler) adapted to be directly coupled to the complementary connector of the PTU. By having a flexible driveshaft configured in this way, the generator may be placed independently relative to the position of the PTU. This may increase an ease of use for a user and thus the frequency of use of the PTU-driven generator system.
The above discussion includes recognitions made by the inventors and not admitted to be generally known. It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.